Teachers on election duty attacked: Front
Two days after the violence-marked panchayat elections, chilling details of mental trauma the government teachers on polling duty had to go through during casting of ballot papers have surfaced.
Citing specific incidents, supported by videos and pictures wherein women teachers can be seen crying for help after the counting centres were ransacked by unscrupulous elements or the polling staff was attacked with stones, the teacher employees’ union on Thursday blamed the state government for putting the lives of the teaching staff at risk in absence of proper security arrangements.
“In Fatehpur village, Mansa, a teacher, Subham Kumar, suffered a serious head injury after unscrupulous elements attacked him and other polling staff after the counting of votes. In Chak Fateh Wala village, teachers returning in a bus after the counting of votes were attacked with bricks and stones. They had to run for their lives,” said Vikram Dev, president, Democratic Teachers Front (DTF).
In another incident, ballot papers were snatched during counting from a teacher on polling duty in Laleyana village of Bathinda district.
“In Khundi Kalan village of Barnala, two women teachers cried for help after the counting centre was locked from outside and the electricity supply was snapped by unscrupulous elements in disagreement over the election results. A teacher, Bhupesh, sought help to rescue them. We are providing all details to the state government and the Election Commission. It is a serious matter as we have received over 50 such complaints,” claimed Pawan Kumar from the front.
Front leaders said they had already brought it to the notice of the state government that putting teachers on election duty not only adversely hit studies in schools but also put their lives at risk.
